Published in Computers in Human Behavior, a recent study uncovered alarming findings about problematic digital media use in young children. The research reveals that children as young as two years old can exhibit excessive and pathological media use, which is associated with long-term social and emotional challenges.
The study was part of Project M.E.D.I.A., a longitudinal research project aimed at understanding child development in a media-saturated environment. Researchers recruited 500 primary caregivers with infants under the age of one year from various sources. For the analysis at hand, data from 269 primary caregiver-infant pairs who participated in four annual waves of data collection were used. The children in the study ranged in age from 2.5 to 5.5 years old.
Parents reported on their children’s problematic media use using the nine-item Problematic Media Use Measure Short Form, which assesses behaviors such as preoccupation with media, withdrawal, and deception about media use. Additionally, parents reported how frequently their child viewed television content on any device.
Child emotional and social problems were measured using the Child Behavior Checklist at both the beginning and end of the study period. This tool evaluated emotional reactivity, anxiety/depression, withdrawal, and aggression. Parental behaviors, including restrictive media monitoring and parental warmth, were assessed using a modified version of the Perceived Parental Media Mediation Scale and the Early Growth and Development Indicator-Indicator of Parent-Child Interaction.
The researchers found that problematic media use begins as early as 2.5 years old and tends to increase steadily throughout early childhood. Emotional reactivity, aggression, and higher television viewing time at 2.5 years old were significant predictors of initial levels of problematic media use.
Higher initial levels of problematic media use were associated with increased social and emotional problems four years later. Children who exhibited higher levels of problematic media use at 2.5 years old had more anxiety, depression, withdrawal, social problems, and aggressive behavior by age 5.5. Additionally, children who showed a more rapid increase in problematic media use over the study period were more likely to display higher levels of aggression at age 5.5, even when initial aggression levels were accounted for.
Interestingly, the study did not find significant associations between early parental restrictive media monitoring or warmth/acceptance and the development of problematic media use. This suggests that children’s own regulatory dispositions — such as their emotional reactivity and aggression — are more influential in shaping their media use patterns than the specific parenting behaviors examined in this study.
“Really young children are not great at self-regulation, so some dysregulation around media is expected,” noted author, Sarah Coyne. “It will be important to see how this grows over time, especially as kids develop their regulatory skills. I would love to follow this sample into adolescence to see how problematic use looks like over the course of development.”
The study underscores the importance of limiting exposure to digital media in young children. Children to need to play, be read to, and interacted with, rather than baby sat by electronic devices.
CM Coyne et al. The growth of problematic media use over early childhood: Associations with long-term social and emotional outcomes. Computes in Human Behavior (2024). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2024.108350
